Environments Flashcards
(186 cards)
pathogen
MO able to cause disease in plant/animal/insect
pathogenicity
ability to produce disease in host
virulence in microbes (genetic,biochemical,structural)
outcome of pathogen + host depends on…
virulence and resistance/susceptibility of host
mechanisms of pathogenicity
invade
colonise
toxins
invasiveness
colonisation, bypass defence mechanisms, substances that facilitate invasion
toxigenesis
exotoxins released from bacteria and act away from bacteria
endotoxins are cell -associated like part of cell walls of Gram -ve (capsule, LPS)
opportunistic pathogen
part of normal flora
infection in compromised host
primary pathogens
cause disease as a result of their presence or activity within the normal, healthy host
regardless of microbiota/immune system
how does the environment affect pathogens?
ability to survive in diff environments affect ability to transmit to us and determines reservoirs and modes of transmission
can change physiology if in undesirable env. (like Gram +ve spores) so improve survival
3 constraints of env.
temperature
pH
anaerobiosis
psychrophile
best at low temperature
psychotroph
best at moderate temperature but can live at low temp
phile vs troph
phile loves while troph tolerates
mesophile
most bacteria
in warm-blooded animals
thermophile
wide variation, not pathogens
what temperature range do most microbes grow at?
over range of 30 degrees with diff mins maxs and optimums
relationship between growth rate and temperature
steady linear increase from min to opt
not linear at optimum
rapid plunge of growth after optimum
cold shock adaptation
e.g. E.coli
downshift in temperature so inhibition of protein synthesis and modified ribosomes
growth lag, acclimation phase and cold shock proteins (Csp) induced so adapt ribosomes to cold and resume growth
chaperones are used so ribosomes don’t damage
types of cold shock proteins
Class I = >10 fold induction
Class II = <10 fold induction
on word
Listeria
non-spore forming Gram +ve bacilli
Listeriosis is quite rare and only in pregnants and immunocompromised
widespread in environment
from contaminated food
can grow in low temps of fridge
invade intestinal mucosa and systemic spread from macrophages to liver
Legionella pneumophila
motile, aerobic, Gram -ve rod
disrupt IS in phagocytic cells and avoid destruction
forms biofilm in air-conditioning but not in humans
causes bacterial pneumonia
temp affects motility, piliation, virulence
most physiological attributes like flagella are better at lower temp
adhesion more effective at 25 degrees but more virulent at 37 degrees
dominant role for aquatic env so humans accidental host maybe from heat shock response
pH of natural environment
0.5 acidic soils to 10.5 alkaline lakes
pH range for most free-living prokaryotes
grow over 3 pH units
pH growth changes are…
symmetrical